Camp 186 The Lost Town At Berechurch

"This book tells the story of one of the ... POW camps of the Second World War. Camp 186 held 6,000 men, mostly 'other ranks' -- ordinary Germans who had been forced into an abnormal situation. Home to extreme Nazis and to strong pacifists, they formed a volatile mixture. Largely using original articles and letters written by the prisoners, [this book] tells some of their stories from capture to arriving at night in a desolate field. Living in bell tents and despite the bitterly cold winter and quagmire that formed, they created a hospital and theatres with a programme of which any professional company would be proud. Despite the hatred and murders, the prisoners broke down the barriers of religion and Camp 186 even became home to a Catholic Seminary. The camp boasts what is probably the largest number of escapees in one attempt, but also the story of a prisoner who escaped but came back a year later -- a case described by the Head of the British POW Investigative Department as 'the most improbable story'"--Page 4 of cover.